Good feedback, but neg follow up?!

booter

Hi all. I sold an item for £1.55 last week and posted it out the same day it was paid for. (The buyer had messaged 3 times before the auction ended to check details with the item - all of which I responded to). They then left positive feedback before receiving the item, but they have since gone on to leave follow up saying that the item wasn't as described and "POOR BUY":cool:.

I have 100% pos f/b with 4.9/5 stars.
I've messaged the buyer asking what the problem is, and offering a refund if the item is returned in its original condition. There is absolutely no way the item was not as described.
Any idea if I can get this follow up removed?

Mindless_Clone

Can you just not follow up the follow up yourself with a comment that the buyer has not contacted you to discuss an issue?

To be fair, as a buyer, whenever I see negatives, half the time it's because buyers don't follow proper procedures and you see a slew of "why didn't you contact me to resolve" replies from the seller. These negs I tend to ignore because, well, good bloody question! I'd be more inspired to see "problem with sale resolved efficiently" on a seller's feedback than some random rant.

soolin

I wouldn't worry, the follow up is meaningless and if you sell a few more things and get more feedback it will drop to the 2nd page and never be seen again.

I would block the buyer though in case they try buy from you again

booter

Thanks both for your advice it's just so annoying to find yet another member of numpties anonymous :cool:. I'm loving the "problem with sale resolved efficiently" follow up Mindless Clone - I agree it does look better than "why didn't you contact me"

soolin wrote: »

I would block the buyer though in case they try buy from you again

I did this the instant I saw the follow up:rotfl: I just knew that this one was gonna be tricky - who sends 3 messages for clarification after bidding, with an hour to go before the auction ends?:doh:

I've had a reply from the buyer - he's apologised adding that he's misread one of my messages, so he's got it wrong. Oh and "it's easy to do a feedback revision request". Thanks for that - it would be if the initial feedback was neg!

Such a shame I won't be putting "Sellers, be aware that this one's an idiot"!:rotfl:

kerrypn

The feedback system on ebay has been a joke for some time-it is all in favour of the buyer-the number of times I have problems :mad:

I am with the poster above re negs-if I see one or two, it doesn't stop me buying- the only time I am little more cautious is if there are 50% of negs on the first page-suggests hacked account/serious problems.

Some people are just horrible to deal with, there's no nice way to put it lol

soolin

kerrypn wrote: »

The feedback system on ebay has been a joke for some time-it is all in favour of the buyer-the number of times I have problems :mad:

I am with the poster above re negs-if I see one or two, it doesn't stop me buying- the only time I am little more cautious is if there are 50% of negs on the first page-suggests hacked account/serious problems.

Some people are just horrible to deal with, there's no nice way to put it lol

OP has not got negative feedback though. Buyer left a positive and then a comment later that was negative. His rating was positive .

Crowqueen

If I see 'why didn't you contact me to resolve' I think 'why didn't you contact them to resolve' and move on.

There's a lot you can do to get negs revised before having a public argument with an unhappy buyer. It may also be the sign of someone who makes themselves unapproachable, and while I'd always contact before leaving non-positive feedback or low stars, I don't normally contact before marking down on stars, as I don't have time to go arguing over pennies. A low value item which is not worth returning and an unapproachable seller all conspire to dissuade buyers from contact - which is something the seller can do a lot to sort out. Instead they leave a stroppy follow-up and not only compound the problem but put people off who don't want to end up with a problem that is expensive to resolve and will probably get them nowhere.

Perception is more important than some people here make it out to be.

That said, you might want to ignore them if this is the only comment about this particular item, but if you continue to get mild complaints like this, you need to work out whether there is a problem with the batch or your descriptions. I've been in this position where someone told me there was a problem with the stamps I sold him on a positive feedback - I had a look at the quality of some that I was selling and I realised that there were 'thins' - where the stamp has not come off the envelope properly - and other small faults which stamp buyers don't like but I don't mind (since I collect them for aesthetic rather than material quality). I learned a lot from that one sale so it would make sense to check what you are sending out is of serviceable quality.

When looking at stamps now I chuck out any with damage to the perforations or the gum or the pictorial side. I don't mind a small tear in my own collection but I'm planning to go into business - or at least considering the option - and I'm looking through my personal accumulation to see whether there is anything I could test the water with, or sell off to make a bit of capital. The tiniest of things can matter to some people. It is someone who is paying/has paid for something after all. Just to ignore them would be foolish if it is a warning sign of a poor batch.

booter

kerrypn wrote: »

Some people are just horrible to deal with, there's no nice way to put it lol

In this case (a newbie buyer) I don't think it's quite that the buyer's horrible, I'm thinking more a bit thick and/or inexperienced. Some people just don't read the description or look at the photos and then wonder why they've got what they bid on!:cool:

Crowqueen wrote: »

if you continue to get mild complaints like this, you need to work out whether there is a problem with the batch or your descriptions.

Thanks for the advice Crowqueen - I'm confident the descriptions were 100% accurate. I always err on the side of caution and describe at length any item I'm selling, warts and all, as I'd rather do that and be sure that the buyer knows exactly what they're getting. OK, so sometimes I'm sure that it's put bidders off, but at least the buyer's not disappointed. I much prefer feedback of "much better than described" than the opposite!:) However, it's not life or death - I'm not running a business, just attempting to de-clutter! Another e-bay glitch to chalk up to experience!

I really do appreciate all your comments - it's so nice to be able to get advice and/or vent on here. :A

happybiker

Ignore it and it will soon go away, no harm is done to your figures and any action you take will only draw attention to the follow up. The vast majority of people won't notice it.

Crowqueen

If you're happy that it's just their opinion, you can let it go - unless, obviously, they are asking for a return.

But - that's the right attitude to have . Best of luck.